Asia Centre has been conducting a series of
seminars and discussions to review the
India
’s security environment in the sub-continent. As a part of this
series, a seminar was held on
7th July 2007
on the topic “Indo-Myanmar Security Relations: Measures to Improve
Trade and Economic Ties”.The event was chaired by ShriA P Venkateswaran, former Foreign Secretary. The
presentations

This report summarises the
essence of the presentations and the discussions that followed.

INTRODUCTION.

Lt.
Gen. (Retd.) Ravi Eipe, Director of Asia Centre, gave a welcome
address to introduce the main speakers and outline the topic.
Myanmar
is little known among
India
’s neighbours, though it impinges on our security and has
considerable economic potential for cooperation.Having served as Chief of the Eastern Command in the Indian
Army, he was struck by two facets relating to
Myanmar
, the strategic aspect and the enigma of Indo-Myanmar relations.With a long term threat of the Chinese from across the
Himalaya
in the north,
Myanmar
in the north-east is a good buffer.A strong and viable
Myanmar
would be to our advantage.
Myanmar
borders four Indian States in the north-east.During World War II, the Japanese invasion of
Burma
in 1942 was an alarm signal to
India
on the vulnerability of the route through Kohima and Imphal.It is vital for
India
to have a stable and friendly
Myanmar
.But the paradox is
that Indian influence is very low in that country, far behind
China
’s.Chinese goods
flood into
Myanmar
.
Myanmar
is looking for partners to balance it, but perhaps more to
Russia
than to
India
as a strategic ally.

Indians know
little about their Burmese neighbours.The security and strategic importance of
Myanmar
to
India
is recognised.(The speaker
used the older name ‘
Burma
’ for convenience).It is a
mistake to consider
Myanmar
’s power equations as just Sino-centric.
India
and
Myanmar
have demarcated the land border and the maritime border is also settled by
both sides.This is not the
case with
Bangladesh
and of course with
China
.The major rivers of
Myanmar
run north to south, which helps Chinese traders to come down the river
valleys with greater facility than it Indians coming across the
mountainous land.
India
’s overland trade with
Myanmar
is much lower than
China
’s.The southern plains of
Myanmar
are fertile, while the north is less developed.The speaker recalled the colonial history of
Burma
, when the country was annexed piece by piece to the
British Empire
.Unlike
India
,
Burma
at the time of
Independence
(1948) had no English-knowing middle class.Indians traders and service people were dominant in
Rangoon
.
Burma
’s ethnic mix contained Karens (Christian), Kachins,
Mons
, Shans, Arakanese.These
groups were non-Burmese and feared domination from
Rangoon
(
Yangon
).

Burma
’s relations with
Laos
,
Vietnam
and
Thailand
are crucial in its security concerns.The long-term contention between
China
and
Vietnam
for influence in
Southeast Asia
is a geopolitical factor.
Laos
is an unstable country.

In
China
’s regions adjacent to
Myanmar
,
Yunnan
and eastern
Tibet
are relatively underdeveloped compared to the rest of
China
.But these regions are more
advanced than
India
’s Mizoram, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.
China
has a natural advantage in executing its development projects.

Burma
is among the oldest producers of petroleum.Now natural gas has also been discovered there.With worldwide energy scarcity, this confers an advantage which is
coveted by eager partners like
Korea
,
France
,
China
and
Japan
, apart from
India
.

(The
US
is abstaining for political reasons).

Burma
is also rich in minerals.It
has Uranium, as yet unmined, in a conflict zone where the army is trying
to quell the dissidents.

The Burmese are
not swayed by the Western categories of reasoning, not happy with black
and white contrasts.

If the problem
of political power in
Burma
is to be resolved, there must be agreement among
India
,
China
and the ASEAN.

China
is well set in some spots and areas.Sittwe
is a listening post for the Chinese to check the
US
moves in
Thailand
and adjacent countries.

In the next
five years, the quest for energy, mainly natural gas from
Burma
, will become very important.

The speaker
contrasted the Burma Army with the Indian Army, which has a strong British
trained tradition.The former
was part of
Burma
’s freedom struggle, unlike the latter.It had imbibed some of the fascist ways of the Japanese Imperial
army in the 1940’s.This
included contempt for civilians as inferior folk.The Army resistend Japanese rule through the Anti-Fascist League.It is now called the Tatmadaw, with a heavy infantry component of
240 battalions.It was Gen
Aung San who established a unified
Burma
, resisting the British scheme of creating separate ethnic states for
Chins, Kachins and Shans.The
speaker reviewed the history of
Burma
in the post-war period and the genesis of military rule, which was deemed
necessary for the stability of the country.The election in 1990 was held, but its results were nullified by
the junta.

With the corruption of power, the rulers fell out.There are two generals in power now, while the third has been
executed.Even if
Burma
regains democracy, the army will retain power, as in
Indonesia
.Younger men have risen in
the Tatmadaw who may look for a compromise with younger civilian leaders,
especially the students, in the expectation that they will be more
amenable than Mme Suu Kyi, accepting a mixed kind of governance short of
democracy.The leader of the
National League of Democracy is now 84 years old and will be succeeded by
younger members.

ASEAN (of which
Burma
is a member) is split on its attitude to
Burma
.
Thailand
is a key neighbour, which is itself run by military leaders.There is an old animosity between
Burma
and
Thailand
, made more difficult by Shan rebels living in
Thailand
.The
US
has backed Karen Christians in the past.The Burmese military government has partly pacified the Karens
through an agreement, after fighting several insurgencies

In order to appease international
opinion and satisfy the insurgent groups and sections of people demanding
a democratic rule, the military junta is involved in the constitution
making exercise through a National Convention. It has been boycotted by
the biggest political party – National League for Democracy (NLD) –
and by the main Shan and Karen insurgent groups. Gen. Khin Nyunt had
formulated a road map for democracy which perpetuates the role of army as
the guardian. It will always retain the right to intervene.

The US,
West Europe
and
Australia
are unhappy at the continued suppression of democracy in
Burma
, but sanctions may not be effective enough to change the position.The
US
is in contact with Burmese representatives, though these are only
exploratory talks, through
China
’s mediation, revealing once more the growing Asian influence of
China
.

Russia
is continuing its cooperation with the
Myanmar
authorities.It has offered a
set up a nuclear reactor, reviving an old proposal.It is keen on mining uranium in
Myanmar
and providing lightly enriched uranium for the reactor.
Russia
is clearly keen on countering
China
’s influence in
Myanmar

India
has to come to terms with the realities in
Myanmar
and deal with the government there pragmatically.We may sympathise with the Burmese aspirations for democracy, but
we should not transfer our concepts of governance and society to
neighbouring countries.

Dr.
Sayed Ali Mujtaba was introduced by Gen. Eipe as the author of
two books on
South Asia
and as an award-winning journalist with friends among the
Myanmar
refugees of the Pro-Democracy Movement (refer “mizzima.com”).The speaker covered the trade relations between
India
and
Myanmar
.The main points are given
below.

Introduction.

Myanmar is
the gateway to
India
’s ‘Look East’ policy.
India
is going all out to strengthen its relationship with
Myanmar
. There is consequently an unprecedented upswing in our bilateral
relations.
India
is engaged in several projects in
Myanmar
. The reconstruction of the Settwe port, the Kaladan multi-modal transport
project and Tamu-Kalewa-Kalemyo road project are being completed. The
India-Myanmar gas pipeline is another major project which awaits an
opportune time for agreement.

Recently
India
signed three important agreements with
Myanmar
: exploration of natural gas, satellite-based remote sensing and promotion
of Buddhist studies in
Myanmar
. There are promising lines of cooperation in IT, automobile, textiles,
and agro-based industries.

Trade Relations,
India
is
Myanmar
's 4th largest trading partner after
Thailand
,
China
and
Singapore
. The two governments had a target of $1 billion worth of trade in 2006-07
but the actuals are well below the mark at $ 650 million.It stood at $ 341.40 million in 2004-05 and $ 557.68 million in
'05-06. Indians are reluctant to invest in
Myanmar
, which partly explains the low level of trading.
India
's exports to
Myanmar
amount to just $ 80 million.

India
is trying to extend airlines, land and sea routes to promote trade links
with the
Myanmar
. It is also looking for collaboration in agriculture, telecommunications,
and oil/ gas production. Our private sector is still shy of investing in
Myanmar
, which welcomes investment in pharmaceuticals, cement, steel, fertilisers,
IT and food processing.

India
and
Myanmar
share 1,643 kilometers of common border along the Potkai Hills. Four
Indian states; Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, share it
with
Myanmar
. The bilateral border trade agreement of 1994 provides the framework.There are three designated border points, one each in Manipur,
Mizoram and Nagaland: Manipur at Moreh, Mizoram at Zowkhathar and Nagaland
at Lungwa in Mon district.Another
trading point at
Pangsu
Pass
, Mizoram is under discussion.The
volume of border trade is low, valued at about $12 million p.a.If there is an agreement between designated banks on both sides and
if more items are included in the approved list for exports and barter,
the volume and value of trade will increase.Cross-border insurgency is also inhibiting trade.At present only 22 items are listed in the free trade agreement
between the two countries.The
impotable items include mustard seeds, pulses and beans, fresh vegetables,
fruits and soyabeans.
India
can supply clothes, shoes, medicines, woollens and engineering goods.
There is a strong plea to include items like mangos, bicycles and its
parts, life-saving drugs, cosmetics, fertilisers, imitation jewellery,
textiles and pan-masala in our export list.

There is also demand for our government to
open a trans-national bus service linking Moreh and
Mandalay
in
Myanmar
. This would not only help traders, but also bring in tourists from
Myanmar
to
India
. To arrest the current illegal trade, items of third country origin could
be brought under the Indo-Myanmar Trade Agreement or under the clearance
of goods of third country origin under the Luggage Rules of 1944.

The problem of currency exchange rates which
hampers trading. Recently the Myanmar Government has approved border trade
with five neighboring countries including
India
to be conducted in Euros as well as the currencies of the countries
concerned.

Pulses and Spices.
India
, a major producer of pulses, still depends on imports for 50 percent of
its demand. It has entrusted National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing
Federation (NAFED) and two other agencies for the import of pulses.
India
also intends to cancel import duties on the pluses.
Myanmar
sends 60 per cent of its total exports to
India
. Private traders dominate the
Myanmar
market, raising prices whenever they come to know of the Indian
Government’s plans to import pulses.This makes price negotiation difficult for
India
.

India
and
Myanmar
are vying to dominate the world spice market, particularly in turmeric.
There is stiff competition from
Myanmar
, where prices are less than half the ruling prices in the world market.
However, turmeric prices have stabilised in
India
after a bumper crop.This will
enable
India
to regain its dominance in the world market for spices.

Tea.
Myanmar
produces about 90 million kilograms of tea annually.About 65 percent of the crop is grown in Shan state. There are
three types of tea produced in
Myanmar
; Green, Black and Pickled. Green-tea accounts for 52 percent of the
production, Black-tea 31 percent and Pickled-tea 17 percent. Recently a
Myanmar
business delegation visited some tea gardens in
Assam
and sought Indian know-how to boost tea production in
Myanmar
and improve the quality.

Gems.
Myanmar
is renowned for its gems: diamond, cat's eye, emerald, topaz, pearl,
sapphire, coral and a variety of garnet tinged with yellow. The three
famous gem lands areas are in Mogok (
Mandalay
), Mongshu (Shan) and Phakant (Kachin).
Myanmar
holds annual gem sale shows. The Indian Gem & Jewellery Export
Promotion Council (GJEPC) encourages Indian buyers to participate in these
events. Gem smuggling is rampant on the India- Myanmar border. Since all
traders cannot distinguish fake gems, smugglers tend to dupe them. Our
Government is striving to stop the smuggling.It has started a training programme in Mizoram for youths to assess
the quality and the purity of gems and identify the fakes.

Narcotics.
India
has to contend with narco-terrorism through the porous
Myanmar
border.Drugs are smuggled
into
India
and exchanged for arms and ammunition.
Myanmar
is the main source of the drug problem in Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland.
Several agreements have been signed between
India
and
Myanmar
since 1993 to fight the evil jointly. Border fencing is advisable.

Indian Exibition,To boost bilateral trade, the
Indo-Myanmar Chamber of Commerce and Industries is organizing a small and
medium-enterprises exhibition, “SME India 2007” at
Yangon
on November 25.

The Confederation of Indian Industry held a "Made in
India
" industrial show in February 2004, where steel products,
construction materials, medicine and medical equipment, cosmetics,
garments, handicrafts, leather goods, farming equipment, electronic
products and kitchen-ware were displayed. “SME India 2007” could yield
business worth $ 25 million.

BIMST-EC. India
and
Myanmar
are also part of BIMST-EC, a regional body comprising of
Bangladesh
,
India
,
Myanmar
,
Sri Lanka
, and
Thailand
for Economic Cooperation. A Free Trade Agreement among BIMST-EC nations is
desirable.
India
has already concluded a free trade agreement with
Sri Lanka
in 1998 and with
Thailand
in 2004. It is yet to finalise similar agreements with
Bangladesh
and
Myanmar
. Currently the BIST-EC countries are discussing the list of items for
“preferential rules of origin” facilities. The fear is that
concessions under rules of origin may lead to third country imports
flowing in on similar terms.

India
has approved the signing of a proposed agreement with
Myanmar
on double taxation and the prevention of tax evasion.This will stimulate the flow of investment, technology and
personnel.It will also
provide tax stability and facilitate economic cooperation.

The
government has approved the linking of United Bank of India (UBI) at Moreh
in Manipur with the Myanmar Economic Bank at Tamu town.This will provide letter of credit (LoC) facilities and under this
system authorise legal conversion between the two currencies. The two
banks will be connected by a hotline phone.These measures will increase the bilateral border trade. There are
also plans to allow
Myanmar
citizens to come in up to Moreh town. The Manipur government has sent a Rs.
200 crore project to the Union government to improve the infrastructure at
Moreh and construct a modern check-post there.

Ambassador
T.P. Sreenivasan: Gen. Eipe
introduced him as a seasoned diplomat, with experience of the UN in
New York
and
Vienna
, apart from postings in
Washington
and other capitals;he is the
founder of the Kerala International Centre, Tiruvanananthapuram, a
commentator on international affairs in the press as well as TV channels. A
summary of the speaker’s address is given below:

The speaker had served in the Indian Embassy in
Myanmar
from 1983 to 86.He offered
his perceptions as something that could still be relevant.
India
has always been aware of
Myanmar
’s importance as a neighbour with a long land and maritime border and
historical connections.The
warm relationship between the two countries was broken at the advent Gen.
Ne Win’s rule, when many Indians were obliged to leave
Myanmar
as refugees.
India
waited for a change in policy.There
was no political dialogue and no high level exchange of visits.The Nonalignment link was severed in 1979 when
Burma
quit the movement. The country avoided contact with the major powers and
neighbours too.On the
security front, where we wanted their cooperation to counter insurgency in
the North-east states,
Myanmar
would not cooperate.The only
significant development was the demarcation of the maritime boundary with
India
.Indian artistes and cultural
visits were well received by the
Myanmar
people, but so were other cultural shows, few as they were.

Despite the frustratingly low level of
exchanges,
Myanmar
was a good neighbour in the sense that there were no bilateral territorial
or other disputes with
India
.Ne Win maintained a cordial
relationship with PM Indira Gandhi, and later with Rajiv Gandhi.Later still, however, the
Myanmar
military rulers negated the results of the democratically elected leader,
Aung San Suu Kyi.This posed a
serious dilemma for
India
, whose sympathy for her and her democracy movement had to be
counterpoised by the necessary policy of dealing with the government in
power.
India
found that any public display of sympathy for her would damage bilateral
relations where they mattered to our interests.Thus
India
began to cultivate better relations with the
Myanmar
junta in view of our strategic and economic interests.

Two factors determining this line were
the durability of the Ne Win legacy and the inroads of
China
into
Myanmar
affairs.
India
concluded that the army would remain in power in
Myanmar
for a long time.The Western
campaign against the military rule and the efforts of ASEAN had not
yielded any space for democracy.A
new constitution is being prepared to foist on the people.It may allow some political participation, but will ensure the role
of the military in governance.Suu
Kyi, whom the rulers suspect is a Western agent, will be excluded from
possible leadership.Her
strategy of accepting house arrest rather than exile has not paid off.
India
is considered in some ASEAN circles to have a role to play in the quest
for an alternative form of governance for
Myanmar
.

India
has to factor in
China
’s increasing influence in
Myanmar
.It gives
China
a pincer from the east as well as the west (via
Pakistan
) to constrict
India
and reach down to the
Indian Ocean
.When the
Myanmar
rulers after Ne Win’s death faced isolation from the international
community, they welcomed
China
’s initiatives to modernise
Myanmar
’s infrastructure, including a new railway line.In
Cocos islands
,
China
has upgraded its radar and naval facilities.
Pakistan
for its part also cultivates better ties with the
Myanmar
junta, supplying arms to fight traffic in narcotics.

India
’s benign policy to
Myanmar
has resulted in high level visits being exchanged and agreements being
concluded on defence, border control, trade, energy and communications,
besides regular dialogue between the foreign offices. The record is much
brighter than in the preceding years.
India
has opened a consulate in
Mandalay
.Regional cooperation through
the ASEAN and BIMSTEC is a new area for advancing bilateral mutual
interests.The Mekong-Ganga
project does not include
China
.A gas pipeline from
Myanmar
to
India
through
Bangladesh
is still a possibility.
India
has offered lines of credit to
Myanmar
, considering that there are twelve Indian projects with that country.The ITEC programme is now available to
Myanmar
too.More frequent exchanges
of visits by defence service officers betoken military cooperation.Important too are the two Indian companies prospecting for oil and
natural gas in
Myanmar
.

Trade is still at a low level.Indian exports are steel products, pharmaceuticals and consumer
goods, while
Myanmar
exports to
India
are mainly agricultural items.The
balance is heavily in favour of
Myanmar
.Some exports from
India
reach
Myanmar
via
Singapore
.Banks have problems on
account of economic sanctions against
Myanmar
.Border trade at two
designated points does not add up to much.Indian regulations against the use of the Rupee for border trading
inhibit growth.But there is
much illegal trade across the border.

India
’s response to the
Myanmar
challenges has been imaginative and ambitious.There is a mutual need in both countries for cooperative relations.
India
as a benign neighbour is an asset for
Myanmar
in the face of Western disapproval.
India
has kept its options open in the unlikely event of a democratic government
being installed in the near future.Any
such government will be friendly to
India
regardless of our present ties with the military regime.
Myanmar
is aware that it is in its interest to diversify its ties, instead of
relying exclusively on
China
.It has turned to
Russia
for its nuclear development for this reason.
Myanmar
has recently revived its diplomatic relations with the DPRK.From
India
’s viewpoint, it is better that
Myanmar
cooperates with
Russia
rather than
China
on the nuclear reactor.

India
should continue the policy of dealing with the military regime, without
losing the commitment to democracy.We
need not aim to check or match the influence of
China
in
Myanmar
, since its military will have a predisposition to receive Chinese support
in all fields.But
India
has a foothold there.The
Chinese do not appear to view it with concern.The West also appears to accept the Indian policy as logical.Some Americans are chagrined by the apprehension that the
favourable policies towards
Myanmar
by
Russia
,
China
and
India
could cancel out the American displeasure expressed through Western
sanctions against
Myanmar
.
India
should however understand the limits of its influence in
Myanmar
for or against the military regime.

Democracy in
Myanmar
is a long way off.It is the
younger generation of the military personnel who must lead reforms,
perhaps by allowing a form of democratic government in which the army
still plays a major role.In
1988, reforms led to agitation for turbulent change, with insurgent groups
waging their own struggles.If
there is contention between
China
and the West,
India
could perhaps help to bring about stability and peace.
India
needs to prepare for such contingencies in close concert with ASEAN
countries.

A study by the
Institute
of
Conflict Management
,
New Delhi
predicts that
India
’s Look East policy will have far-reaching demographic implications for
the whole region.Along the
Asian Highway
there will develop city centres diffusing employment opportunities,
economic growth and supply routes for our energy needs.But on the negative side, we should guard against the spread of
AIDS and drug addiction, the local people losing out and the rise of
violent insurgency.
India
therefore needs an innovative, imaginative and determined approach to the
problems of the Northeast states,
Bangladesh
,
Myanmar
and beyond.

It is regrettable that, despite its
acknowledged importance for us,
Myanmar
is so little studied by our diplomats, businessmen, journalists and
scholars.Our universities
have no specialised department devoted to
Myanmar
’s history, languages and cultures. This must be rectified.

The
Myanmar
people have endured arbitrary and repressive rule for many years with
fortitude and patience.They
rose in agitation for democratic rule, but when the military re-imposed
its rule, they had to be resigned to it.Apart from our strategic and economic interests, we owe it to the
people of
Myanmar
to build up a relationship with that country which would be truly
beneficial to them.

Discussion

The audience participated eagerly in
this session.One member
criticised Indian policy towards the
Myanmar
junta for its callous disregard of the democracy movement, which should
have claimed greater Indian concern and pressure on the
Myanmar
rulers.Ambassador
Sreenivasan explained the security compulsions which
India
had to weigh against the sympathy we do feel for Aung San Suu Kyi.He also dwelt on the limits of any pressure that
India
could effectively exert on the
Myanmar
military leadership.Bilateral
relations had considerably improved since
India
switched to the pragmatic approach of dealing with the government in
Yangon
.
India
cannot minimise the advantage that
China
was gaining in the strategic neighbourhood.
India
needs the support of the generals for its counter-insurgency measures in
the Northeast.The ULFA has
bases on the
Myanmar
side.We need to eliminate
them.Intelligence on these
rebel attackers has to be obtained and shared.Besides, drug smuggling has become a serious problem which we
cannot solve without
Myanmar
’s effective support.When
Suu Kyi was given the Nehru award, the angered
Myanmar
leaders released many militants from detention, to our dismay.On top of these factors, is
Pakistan
’s effort to gain ground in
Myanmar
against Indian interests.Some
Myanmar
leaders will be pro-China, and facilitate Chinese projects in
Myanmar
, including naval bases.We
cannot counter this without stronger bilateral relations and the help of
the
Myanmar
junta.The Chairman, Sri A.P.
Venkateswaran interposed to point out that
India
’s non-alignment policy precluded interference in the internal affairs
of other countries.
India
cannot make official statements critical of
Myanmar
’s internal policies, though it could be sympathetic to democracy.Many
NAM
countries are in effect autocratic in governance, and yet we have to deal
with them.To a question, why
China
is preferred by the
Myanmar
government, Sri Sreenivasan replied that
China
had dealt with the generals for a longer period than
India
, and that
China
as a permanent member of the UNSC, has the Veto power which
Myanmar
regards as valuable. Further,
China
is able to offer more economic and technical benefits to
Myanmar
than
India
.

Ambassador Eric Gonsalves
pointed out that civil society in
Myanmar
lacked a firm basis for democratic government and institutions.Even
Thailand
and
Bangladesh
experienced military rule.
India
’s national interests, regional and global, have to be kept in the
forefront.In
Myanmar
, the military had always been part of the governing system from Gen. Aung
San’s freedom movement onward.In
the absence of a strong middle-class, the military furnished the governing
class and has become all pervasive.In
the rural sector,
Myanmar
is better off than
India
.The speaker opined
that that Indians should pay more attention to the dissensions and
groupism within the
Myanmar
armed forces.

With globalisation, there is more
interdependence among countries.
South Asia
and
South-east Asia
have to explore complementary advantages in various fields, including the
military, the economic and satellite technology.The Kunming Initiative seeks to bring about close networking among
four countries,
Bangladesh
,
China
,
India
and Myanmar (BCIM).We need to
develop adequate infrastructure for greater cooperation.The
Yunnan
region in
China
has registered notable advance, ahead of
India
.
India
has to engage with
Myanmar
and its rulers at various levels, as governments, while allowing our civil
society to show sympathy to Suu Kyi and the democracy movement.We have to cut bureaucratic barriers to freer interchange and think
innovatively.

Regarding
India
’s border problem with
China
and the Sino-Myanmar border being settled in 1960 with the Macmohan
Linevirtually acknowledged in that sector up to the trijunction, the
speaker said that Premier Zhou Enlailai had offered
India
a package, which
India
had not taken up.

Ambassador C.V. Ranganathan spoke
next and pointed out that
Myanmar
had to be treated as a sovereign country which could determine its own
government without outside intervention.On the Sino-Indian border war, he recalled that
Myanmar
(
Burma
) had played a positive role favourable to the Indian position in the 1963
Colombo
proposals.

He referred to the Look East policy
which
India
had taken up and the BCIM Kunming Initiative.He had taken part in the subsequent consultations.

He said that it is important to give
the North-east states of
India
a sense of opening up.
China
had taken great strides in developing its relatively underdeveloped
western regions and improving communications.The connectivity of railways and waterways would also benefit the
whole BMIC region and reduce people’s feeling of isolation.
India
could try to leverage infrastructure projects in
Myanmar
as
China
is doing.

Regarding Myanmar China relations, he
said that nationalism would prevent any swamping of
Myanmar
by the Chinese.During the
Cultural Revolution of the 1960’s,
Myanmar
had slaughtered several Chinese residents, he recalled.

He concurred with the view that
India
’s engagement with
Myanmar
should go ahead, while civil society could strive for Suu Kyi’s
liberation and political life.

Dr Mujtaba elaborated on
trade issues in reply to a question.There
are good opportunities for Indian firms to meet the growing needs of the
Myanmar
people.
India
should make effort to expand information and awareness concerning
Myanmar
and trade possibilities.
China
had stepped in to fill the market when international sanctions were
blocking imports from other countries.

In reply to a question, Ambassador
Sreenivasan clarified that he was only reporting the view in some
Myanmar
quarters that Suu Kyi would be well advised to go into exile and fight for
her cause from abroad, if she wished. It was not his own view of the
matter.

An employee of Tatas said that in
bidding for a power station in
Myanmar
, the Chinese offered credit terms with a liberal 20-25 year period, which
India
could not match.They have the
edge over
India
in such contracts.

The possibility of giving ITEC aid to
Myanmar
in the gem and jewel craft was mentioned.

A questioner raised the issue of
China
’s claim over Arunachal Pradesh, which was recently reiterated.The Chairman recalled
that Deng Xiouping had offered a package plan which in essence was for a
settlement of the border with an exchage of claims over Aksai Chin and
Arunachal Pradesh.
India
was unable to take it up.

Conclusion

CONCLUSIONS

Inevitably the discussion of
India-Myanmar relations must weigh the merits of doing business with the
military regime there against pressing that regime to restore democracy
and allowing Aung San Suu Kyi to participate as a party leader in the
elections.
India
has a standing and prestige as a pluralistic democracy and upholder of
human rights, despite the security challenges it faces from
foreign-inspired insurgency.It
goes against the grain for
India
to acquiesce in the continued detention of Suu Kyi, while conducting
relations with the regime which unjustly represses democracy in the name
of the people.But no state
can give priority to the expression of solidarity with political leaders
in another country if such a policy seriously conflicts with national
interests in strategic and security matters.The seminar amply revealed that political realism required
India
to deal with the
Myanmar
government, unmindful of its military composition.At the same time,
India
need not be inhibited in persuading the
Myanmar
rulers to conform to the international standards we support, in private
discussions at top levels and through respected Indian figures and
associations from civil society unconnected with our government.The impression that
India
is on the side of the
Myanmar
rulers in their repressive domestic policy needs to be corrected.

The reasons which must weigh more in
Indian policy are plain.First,
the insurgencies in our North-east states have to be combated in concert
with the
Myanmar
forces and intelligence.We
must provide all possible means within our capacity to
Myanmar
to enable more effective action in support of our operations, for example,
by eliminating safe havens on the
Myanmar
side of the border which the rebels resort to in their campaigns of random
violence.Secondly, China’s
political and economic penetration of Myanmar deepens the latter’s
dependency to the strategic disadvantage of India, and this must be offset
by a more energetic policy of engagement with Myanmar at all levels,
governmental, business, cultural.
India
may not be able to rival
China
in cultivating
Myanmar
, but we can use our geographical and cultural closeness to better effect,
if and only if, we do not hesitate to deal with the
Myanmar
’s military rulers and their minions.Even the Western countries and their allies are divided in their
policy towards
Myanmar
.
Japan
and
South Korea
pursue their economic and trade interests quietly, despite the
US
call for sanctions.Even the
Americans have contacts with
Myanmar
representatives outside the glare of publicity.ASEAN, the most closely concerned regional body, is itself
ambivalent about pushing for democracy in
Myanmar
, and no wonder, with Thai and Indonesian experience available all round.

On the economic side, while some
progress has been evident in recent years, our bilateral relations could
do with a more purposeful and vigorous drive to use investment
opportunities in
Myanmar
and to promote trade, including improved facilities for border trade.The current Indian policies are on the right lines, but they could
be further energised.This
neighbour country, which is undoubtedly of strategic importance to
India
, should be studied in our universities and institutions in greater depth,
with greater interest and concern than it is now.The Ministry of External Affairs is perhaps the best branch of
government to outline and organise a scheme for the promotion of
Myanmar-related studies.